Meet Some of Our Team

"I graduated from school in 2009 with a degree in operations management. My first job was with a freight forwarder. I went over to STC one day to do a shipment for a customer and started talking to Bill Sikma. I was very impressed by him. He was very welcoming and took the time to talk to me and show me around. I Googled STC as soon as I got back to the office and it just went from there.

Operations management is a pretty new field but my training was dead-on for my first job at Stolt. It’s all about being safe, being cost effective and being on time and on budget every time—and getting it right the first time every time. That’s what we do! And along the way you get to work with people from all over the world, and you get to ship everything from Crown Royal to hazardous chemicals. It’s kind of cool. I’ve now moved into sales and cover a territory that stretches from Colorado south to Texas. In fact, I actually left Stolt for a short period, but I’m happy to be back. I get to work with a very large and diverse group of shippers. Getting in front of those people and helping them deal with their logistics needs is a challenge and keeps things interesting!"

Marco Goncalves

General Manager, Stolt Tank Containers, São Paulo, Brazil

"I joined the company 17 years ago, when I was 23 years old. It was my first full-time job. Stolt really gave me the opportunity to grow as a person. They sent me overseas for training and international experience—they invested in me. And I tried to make the most of those opportunities. I started as a Trainee and I am now General Manager of Stolt Tank Containers in Brazil.

The culture here is that we are like family, and that is priceless. It’s great to come to work every day with people who are professionals and enjoy what they do. This is logistics, so every day is different—it’s not a routine job. And we like it that way."

Captain Daniel Strydom

General Manager, Stolthaven, Houston, Texas, USA

"I had worked on all different types of ships early in my career. But when I became a 2nd mate, I decided I wanted to get into chemical tankers, because they were the most complex and the most challenging. Stolt had a reputation for being the best so that’s where I wanted to go. As it turned out, they had just completed a big newbuilding project and they needed officers. So I happened to be in the right place at the right time and never looked back.

After 12 years at sea, and serving as Master of Stolt Perseverance for two years, I decided to apply for a permanent position in Houston. One of the big reasons I came ashore was to learn something new, and in the eight years that I’ve been here I’ve had all kinds of opportunities to do that. From Port Captain in Houston to Operations manager in New Orleans and now General Manager of Stolthaven.

Stolt has always rewarded hard work, dedication and innovation. If you display these traits you will have the opportunity to be successful. Along the way you will meet the most knowledgeable people in the business and it is up to you to take advantage of that and be the best that you can be. It has been an incredible journey and I cannot wait for the next chapter."

"I had moved to Rotterdam from South Africa, where I had previously worked for an import/export firm. Whilst job hunting, I came across a vacancy at Stolt and immediately got to browsing the website. I found the multiplicity and global business quite appealing.

Soon after interviewing, I commenced my employment at Stolt Tankers in January 2010 and was really captivated by the cultural diversity of the company. Having approximately 30 nationalities represented in the Rotterdam office is, in my opinion, a great recipe for learning and for cultivating interesting methods and thought patterns for achieving goals.

Stolt provides its employees with training and growth opportunities, including career-development prospects. My current position allows me to collaborate with various departments and individuals, giving me with the opportunity to expand my knowledge and skill sets, ranging from navigation and piracy to safety-behaviour assessments. Soon after joining Stolt, I was fortunate enough to be given a first-hand tour of one of the tankers, which provided a clear perspective the supportive role that office employees play within the Stolt Tankers organization — an eye opener I would say.

Stolt definitely provides the tools to enable its employees to strive towards a common goal of excellence. I am also fortunate to work with colleagues who motivate and encourage each other to excel; yet another plus point!"